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LOUISIANA, MO. -- The Champ Clark Bridge that carries traffic between Louisiana, Missouri and Pike Station, Illinois will be down to one lane this week for repairs. Drivers can expect delays beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, which will continue until 6 p.m. Friday when the bridge will temporarily close.

The closure should run for approximately eight days, due to repairs that need to be made following a fatal accident that happened on the bridge back in December 2011.

Brain Haeffner is a resident engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation office in Hannibal. "There were three truss members that were damaged in the accident back in December, and the contractor will go in and replace those three truss members and while they're doing that we can't have any traffic on the bridge at all, so that's why the bridge is being closed."

The closure is going to affect many people and many companies. One of those affected is the Pike County Memorial Hospital. Dan Jones is the human resources director at the hospital and he said the health care provider has many employees who have made plans on how to deal with the closure.

"And so there are several contingency plans. One is there will be a shuttle across from which Two Rivers Marina is providing a shuttle for people," Jones said. "Some are going to do that. Some are going to stay at the motel and some are going to stay with relatives and some will take a little extra drive. They have young children so they're going to have to take care of their home duties and then come onto work."

When it comes to emergencies, EMS, police and fire departments have also made contingency plans just in case the need arises.

Total cost of the repair job is estimated at $257,000.

For those who need to cross the Mississippi and usually use the bridge, they will have to either travel north to Hannibal to cross the river or travel south to the St. Louis area and use one of the bridges in that metro region.